Author: The UTD Mercury
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Autumn sports stumble, don’t fall
While fall sports were officially cancelled, the American Southwest Conference (ASC) has released schedules for student-athletes to play a consolation season in the spring. The ASC announced the new season schedules for women’s volleyball, as well as both men’s and women’s soccer and cross country on Aug. 31. Given the challenges brought on by the…
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Smash team hosts recruitment tournaments
The Smash team at Comet Esports recently ran recruitment tournaments to find more players. On Aug. 28, Sept. 4 and Sept. 11, Comet Esports conducted a series of singles tournaments, with about 30 players participating, to scout out and recruit new talent for the Smash team. Normally, the team uses recent tournament results to gauge…
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Teaming up to Collaborate
For virtually enrolled Comets, a two-platform solution optimally balances functionality and convenience in online classes. UTD has no standardized platform for virtual classes. As a result, there are several options professors can (and do) choose from to host their lectures – from Blackboard Collaborate and Zoom to Microsoft Teams and Webex. Among those, Teams and…
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The real reason young adults don’t vote
Many older voters subscribe to the idea that young adults are politically uninformed or too lazy to vote. This misconception is merely an excuse for the older generation to avoid addressing problems that contribute to a low voter turnout. Having “coddled minds,” “an inability to understand the way the world works” or being lazy for…
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Logical fallacies kill reason
If we vote for [insert candidate name here], eventually democracy will die out. This is because [insert candidate name here] will lead us into an authoritarian regime and destroy our country, and everyone knows this, so we shouldn’t vote for them. Sound familiar? The statements above are seemingly valid and commonly brought up in social…
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Comet Cruisin’ for a bruisin’
To help keep passengers safe, UTD parking and transportation services has installed sanitary features in its new Comet Cruisers and is now operating under updated guidelines and reduced hours. Numerous campus services have had to make adjustments over the past few months, and the Comet Cruiser bus service is no exception. These shuttles serve UTD…
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“It’s a comfortable place for students to isolate”
UTD’s Residential Life office has allocated 100 suites at Canyon Creek Heights North to use as quarantine isolation units. Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Matthew Grief – who oversees all of University Housing – said the units are reserved for students who are confirmed COVID-19 positive or presumptive positive. The dean’s office handles first…
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SG vice president candidate disqualified from elected position
The Student Government election board has voted unanimously to disqualify vice president candidate Stephanie Royer from her recently elected position as VP. The global business and biology senior ran on the ConnectUTD ticket alongside presidential candidate and public affairs senior Ali Darvishi. Following multiple allegations regarding Royer’s involvement in online solicitation of votes, all six…
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What’s up with Honorlock?
UTD has implemented online exam proctoring through Honorlock, but the software’s collection of data has led to widespread concerns about student privacy. Available through a browser extension, Honorlock requires a functioning webcam and microphone to be used during exams. Before starting, students are required to have sufficient lighting, present a picture ID and scan the…
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Center for Global Business creates virtual internship program
International travel ground to a halt last semester, but the Center for Global Business has developed solutions to allow students to gain international experience virtually. Global business and human resource management junior Grace Richmond was one of 56 students approved to study abroad last spring. Richmond had planned to go on a two-week trip with…